Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Champagne Silver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had the camera for a few days now, have been going out each afternoon experimenting with it, and so far I'm very happy with the purchase. But I think there's a lot of personal taste involved in buying any expensive camera, and you should try out several cameras "live" before buying this or any other one. I'm not going to repeat the pros and cons listed in other reviews - by and large I think others have done a good job pointing those out. I'm probably the target market - I was looking seriously at a Canon G11 or a Lumix LX3 before deciding to plonk down a bit more cash for this. I am happy with this camera because my priorities are:
- small size: I hike a lot, and want a light camera that will happily go in my backpack with lunch. DSLR's were just a little too too bulky for my taste. I really like the size of the camera, was willing to pay a bit extra for it. At some point I will probably spring for the 17mm "pancake" lens to trim it down even more. But when I have more cash. :-)
- SLR quality pictures: I was into hobby photography in school and got away from it when work got busy. I want the ability to take some nature and travel pics that can withstand some enlargement. The pictures I'm getting out of the E-PL1 are gorgeous, and I'm really excited about "taking it on the road".
- speed isn't an issue: a major complaint about the camera is that the autofocus isn't as fast as on some other cameras. For sports photography, that's probably an issue. For scenery and portraits, who cares. It's not so bad that I'd have noticed if the reviewers hadn't mentioned it, but then I'm not used to using a DSLR.
- don't care about a viewfinder - I've got astigmatism and with glasses, viewfinders are a pain. I went out shooting at sunset and intentionally shot with the sun on the LCD screen, and while it wasn't ideal,I could still work with it.
Read the reviews at dpreview, steves digicams, photographyblog - lots of good information and analysis. Frankly, I'd ignore most of the message boards and blogs, too many people getting ridiculously passionate about minutia. If you are THAT serious a photographer, this isn't the camera for you. But 95% of us AREN'T so into photography that we will sacrifice our firstborn rather than give up our allegiance to Panasonic/Canon/Nikon/whoever. So be thoughtful about your priorities, and go handle it in a store for a while. For my needs, it just fit.


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OLYMPUS 262851 12.3 Megapixel E-PL1 Pen Camera (Gold with M. Zuiko 14-42mm lens)

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Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Compact Super Telephoto Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)According to a photo magazine, this is a cosmetically re-labelled Konica Minolta 75-300 (D) zoom telephoto, which is a lens that I own (it certainly looks exactly the same as the KM 75-300 lens, but with the 'Sony' name). In which case, I have the following review:
(1) Excellent construction quality, this is a very nicely made lens, excellent finish, not too heavy but solid and without the 'plastic' feel of many medium-priced lenses;
(2) Excellent optical quality, with good sharpness even at the longest 300mm focal length where most zooms begin to show poor quality;
(3) VERY UNUSUAL: near-zero distortion throughout the entire range of focal lengths (very different from some Sigma zooms that I own, which have conspicuously visible pincushion distortion). This may well be the lowest-distortion 75-300 telephoto from any maker.
(4) ONE CAVEAT: AUTOFOCUS IN LOW LIGHT: on my Minolta Maxxum 7 film camera, whose autofocus system is apparently quite similar to the Sony Alpha 100, the camera has difficulty autofocussing the 75-300 lens at the 300 mm setting (where the aperture is only f/5.6) in light weaker than direct sunlight. This is probably the same with any f/5.6 or slower lens. I have found myself switching to manual focus at the 300 mm setting if the subject is not brightly lit.
NOTE: the Konica Minolta 75-300 (D) lens is still available, for about $140, and reportedly will work with Sony Alpha cameras just as well as the similar lens labelled Sony.

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Get extremely close to your subjects from a relaxing distance with this Sony 75-300mm super telephoto zoom lens. Great for taking incredibly close-up portraits without making your subject nervous, the compact, lightweight 4x zoom lens is a terrific value and an ideal choice for covering outdoor activities and sports action, even in large stadium locations. The lens offers a wide zoom range of 112.5 to 450mm (35mm equivalent) that handles both middle-ground subjects and portraits from afar, while still capturing intimate details and natural wonders close at hand. In addition, the lens gives light sources a pleasing circular defocused effect in the background, making the subject stand out beautifully.

Focal length: 75-300mm (112.5-450mm 35mm equivalent)
Maximum aperture: f/4.5-5.6
Minimum aperture: f/28-32
Filter diameter: 55mm
Minimum focus distance: 4 feet, 11 inches
Magnification: 0.25x
Lens group elements: 10 groups 13 elements
Distance encoder: Yes
Blades: 7 aperture blades
Asperhic elements: No
Lens type: Telephoto zoom
Dimensions: 2.81 inches in diameter and 4.81 inches long
Weight: 1 pound, 2 ounces

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Nikon LC-52 Snap on Front Lens Cap Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This fits the lens that comes with most Nikon kits. If you need a replacement for your Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens this is it. The lens ships with D40 and D40x kits (among others) and should include this cap.
The easiest way to see which lens cap you need is to look at the number on the back of the cap, which pretty obvious but I almost overlooked it. Mine says LC-52 52mm. If you've lost yours you can measure the front of your lens. Nikon's more common ones are 52mm, 62mm, 72mm, and 77mm, so the only ones you'll have to measure precisely are the 72 & 77's.
The cap fits super tight if put on correctly, but sometimes, if I put it on quickly, it doesn't line up right on my lens. Somehow I've managed to make it peel up the inner plastic ring right by the lens where it says AF-S DX Nikkor. The impression it left is of the exact shape of the moving parts on the cap. The lens still works perfectly but I'm really annoyed. I can't take a star for that because this is the best cover I've ever owned, but it should be noted that double checking that it's on all the way is recommended. There is a picture of the damaged lens and back of cap in the "Customer Images" on the product page. :)
Amazon's list price is about 15 bucks and there are way cheaper caps out there, but these are really worth it, especially when you've got more expensive glass. Plus they sell for less than half that normally...just be careful with it.

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Protect your Nikon investment with genuine Nikon lens, teleconverter and camera body mount caps. Lens caps protect the front and rear portions of your lenses and teleconverters from dust, smudges and scratches. Camera body mount caps protect the mirror box and reflex mirror when a lens is not affixed to the camera body.

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